Huperzine A As a Neuroprotective and Antiepileptic Drug

Original Article:
Huperzine A as a neuroprotective and antiepileptic drug: a review of preclinical research

U. Damar, et al.

Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics,2016, 16(6), 671-680.

10.1080/14737175.2016.1175303

Huperzine A (HupA) is an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor extracted from Huperzine. In traditional Chinese medicine, HupA has long been used to treat fever and inflammation in various diseases. In recent years, purified HupA has been the subject of detailed neuroscientific research for the treatment of cognitive-related diseases such as memory impairment in Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.

The focus of this article is to summarize important preclinical HupA neuroscience research. In this work, the authors review the structural and pharmacological properties of HupA, followed by a plausible mechanism of action for its demonstrated anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and anticonvulsant effects. The results showed that HupA mainly acts through α7nAChRs and α4β2nAChRs, thereby producing a potent anti-inflammatory response by reducing IL-1β, TNF-α protein expression and inhibiting transcriptional activation of NF-κB signaling. Thus, it provides protection against excitotoxicity and neuronal death as well as increases GABAergic transmission associated with anticonvulsant activity.

Chemicals Related in the Paper:

Catalog Number	Product Name	CAS Number
ACM102518796	(-)-Huperzine a	102518-79-6